


The Arch of Your Spine (And the Ink On Our Skin)

by bashade



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, One sided pining for a while
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-02
Updated: 2015-06-02
Packaged: 2018-03-16 14:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3491570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bashade/pseuds/bashade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Zayn leans back into the fingers threading through to his scalp, tugging down the jumper he'd nicked from Liam. How could he wonder what made the nights so calm? The boys were gone and Marvel played throughout the night on full repeat. Maybe...</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Arch of Your Spine (And the Ink On Our Skin)

"Would you two just fuck already?"

Louis cuffed the snickering Niall on the back of his blonde head, leaning back into Harry's lanky form on the sofa, who blinked at the exchange with tired emeralds. The youngest boy mumbled something low and sarcastic to Niall while snuggling his lips into Louis' feathery hair, eyes fluttering shut and arm laying across Louis' stomach. 

Liam chuckled and ruffled curls hidden under a grey beanie as he passed the two boys lying on his furniture, then took Niall arguments as to why Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles should shag with distracted nods and slurps from his cup of noodles. 

Niall's piercing voice faded off in Liam's ears, instead replaced with the soft humming of their Bradford fifth as he continued in his curled state by the window, transparent sunbeams filtering in and shining his bronze skin to a new shade all his own. Zayn's charcoal chunk had stained his fingers while purpled smudges marked his cheekbones and collarbones like bruises from sharp teeth on bare skin. 

The colored cotton of Liam's Green Lantern jumper that Zayn's nicked for the millionth time had ridden down Zayn's chest, left wing out of the tattooed pair saying hello to anyone who saw. Louis always bugged him about wearing Liam's clothes because they were always a size or two too large, but they'd all done it. Harry and Liam's wardrobes had shortened to half of their original size since the both of them had permanently moved into apartments. 

Poor boy exhausts himself. Classes at uni over an hour and a half away, stumbling home at eleven at night with shadows under his eyes and arms shaking under a load of textbooks. Liam always begged to help with the schoolwork, but the inky-haired boy would brush past, resting his forehead on Liam's chest for a second before losing himself in the worlds of his laptop, notes and books. 

Only the boys invading the apartment could bring him out of his homework stupor earlier than midnight. And even then, all Zayn will do is collect the one notebook that isn't filled to bursting with biology notes along with a collection of charcoal and pencils, then settle in on the alcove by the window with the sun setting or rising to shine on him.

Louis called out to him, a sound blocked from zero attention paid. Liam only responded with placing his empty Styrofoam cup on the coffee table and rising to his feet. Louis went quiet, smiling into Harry's shoulder and flipping off Niall when the Irish boy went to get after Liam for ignoring him and his “analytical” reasons. 

The boys left in the living room turned up the rerun of whatever Marvel film Harry thinks is the best out of everything in the universe and talked—argued—amongst each other to block out Liam's attempt to bring Zayn into the world of socialism. 

Zayn noticed his friend approaching him out of his peripherals, scooting closer the glass panes beside him to make room. Liam settled in and threaded his long fingers into the back of Zayn's thick inky strands, attempting to sneak a glance at the newest in the longest line of Zayn's hobbies. Zayn quirked the corner of his lips while he shut the cover of his notebook, leaning into the curve of Liam's neck.

"Li...go back to the boys." He whispered into the warm skin, humming deep in his throat when Liam pulled his fingers with Zayn's hair.

"Come with me." Liam urged, sending his fingers down Zayn's scalp to the nape of his neck and digging in his fingertips. Zayn's golden eyes fluttered shut as he leaned back into Liam, nicked jumper sleeves sliding up to reveal the bright ZAP! tattoo that marked the skin. Still, Zayn shook his head.

"You alright?" Liam murmurs into Zayn's hair, keeping his scratching fingers at the ends of Zayn's hair.

"Feelin' sick..." Zayn's head lolled lazily onto Liam's shoulder. "Don't want you..." Zayn yawned and turned onto his side, leaving his art aside to cuddle into Liam's broad chest and lace his fingers in the fabric of Liam's Marvel pajamas. "...to catch anything." Liam turned up his lips and shifted in his seat, cradling Zayn in his arms while Niall made faces at them.

[+]

Liam watched from the kitchen, stirring cream into the coffee Zayn hooked him on while waiting for a separate cup for Zayn to heat in the microwave. Louis and Niall were on his living room carpet, giggling, pinching and rolling around to see who would win the last of Harry’s mum’s sweets sent from Holmes Chapel. 

Harry appeared at Liam’s side, knocking their hips lightly enough to only get a glower for almost-spilled-coffee. The microwaved behind them beeped, finished with its job, and Harry raised an eyebrow when Liam went to retrieve the cup inside. 

“What?”

Harry tapped an index finger on the edge of Liam’s cup, eyeing the second in Liam’s hand. “Developing a caffeine addiction?” 

“No.” Liam corrected, placing the microwaved cup on the counter next to his own. “One’s for Zayn.”

“And he is…”

“ _Sleeping_. Finally has a day off from school and don’t you _dare_ go and wake him up.” Liam curled his hand around Harry’s upper arm, keeping him from escaping to the rooms off the corner. “He rarely gets a break. Let him rest.”

“He sleeps enough.” Harry yanked his arm away, smacking into the refrigerator, but kept his determined gaze. “We’re all in university. And all of us, except Zayn, are out here. Awake.”

“ _Hey!_ ”  
Liam and Harry turned from their private debate to the other two of their group, who were done wrestling and instead glowering deeply at a messy haired newcomer chewing cheerily on the last lemon square they had been battling so vicariously over. 

“What was that, Harold? I couldn’t quite hear.” Zayn wiped the crumbs off his fingers on his pants, then stalked out of the area past Niall and Louis to the kitchen to stand across the counter from the other boys. Harry stood frozen next to Liam, watching with a stiff posture for any move Zayn could make against him. 

“Give me my coffee, Li.”

[+]

That evening, when Harry resigned himself only to the furthest end of the couch, Zayn sat with the group. He ignored each and every one of them, but he was within conversational distance. 

H wore his own clothes, a faded black hoodie with a crummy fake Army patch ironed on one arm, and bright blue jeans shredded at the knees. Louis always nagged at Zayn to throw out the jacket he’d kept for almost three years, but Zayn continued to shrug him off, never revealing that his twentieth birthday gift from Liam was treasured.

Unable to leave the room without giving something for the four others to at least argue over, Liam played the first Batman film while he slipped away to wash away his day’s work with boiling water and lavender soap that Zayn kept purchasing. 

After he’s scrubbed and crossed his fingers that no one had mauled anyone else, Liam dressed in a pair of school-stamped sweatpants and left the bathroom to brave the group in the living room.

But Zayn was waiting for Liam, sitting patiently at the end of his bed, crouched over his drawing notebook with fresh charcoal held in long fingers. Liam held his inhale, clenching his fingers around the door frame to watch. 

Zayn neglected any stray hairs that curled at his temple, instead using his hands to rub the stain of the dark charcoal into the paper. Another design that no one else would ever see. Their worthless AC kicked on, making Zayn shiver and his hand freeze in its flow before he continued. 

When Liam finally moved from the doorway, the AC had shut off again and Zayn seemed too lost in his own world to even notice the shift of the mattress when Liam joined him on the bed. Liam didn’t peek at the notebook this time, Zayn’s pride a blatant reminder that what was in that notebook was nothing for Liam’s eyes.

Liam could notice the tightness of Zayn’s jaw now, probably grinding his teeth from how Harry had spoken of him that morning. Harry hadn’t meant it, brain too slow in filtering the comments about his friend and if either of them would apologize (even sarcastically), maybe Zayn would calm down. 

Liam nudged Zayn’s hip with his fingers, watching his hazel eyes blink back into focus of the regular world. Before Zayn could realize that his hands hadn’t moved, Liam lifted the notebook cover up and over the pages of art and took it into his own hands to place on the floor by Zayn’s bare feet. 

Zayn huffed, blankly darting his eyes over Liam’s carpet, charcoal still clutched in his fingers. 

Liam reached over and tapped twice at Zayn’s index finger. The chunk fell out of Zayn’s hand, but still he seemed spaced. 

“Alright?” Liam asked, skimming his hand up Zayn’s stiff spine to card into the curly ends of Zayn’s dark hair. 

“No.”

[+]

Zayn took the next day off from school, with not-so-gentle pushes from Liam. For once, Zayn seemed unable to sleep in until the usual noon, instead shuffling into the kitchen as Liam prepared his drink for his jog around the park at nine in the morning. 

Liam skipped his run, instead taking the box of cookie mix that Zayn bashfully held out to him and set out the bowl and ingredients on the counter. Zayn yawned into his hand, heaving himself up onto the counter next to the baking ingredients to watch Liam. 

They both knew Zayn stuck his fingers in the batter for tastes, but Liam could never gather enough courage to tell him to quit. 

Still, when Liam turned around far quicker than Zayn had thought, a spot of batter had ended up on Zayn’s cupid bow and Zayn decided that pretending it wasn’t there was his best choice for a plan. He kicked his feet like a young child and refused to meet Liam’s playful gaze. 

Then Liam found courage. 

He stepped between Zayn’s legs, placing Zayn’s chin between his thumb and forefinger and guided his head down. Liam’s lips met with soft and unsuspecting Zayn’s. Liam sneaked his tongue out to taste the batter on Zayn’s lips, but did not pull from Zayn when it had been cleaned away. 

Zayn’s hand encircled Liam’s wrist when he moved to cup the side of Zayn’s jaw. Liam had Zayn open for him, taking Zayn’s bottom lip between his teeth and eased his tongue in, nudging Zayn’s to life. 

Zayn shivered and his hand tightened on Liam’s skin, digging in his nails until Liam separated from him. Zayn could hardly breathe, each breath stuttered. Liam added his other hand to the opposite side of Zayn’s jaw, forcing his breaths louder and longer to guide Zayn. 

“Li…”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

[+]

He was gone. 

He’d slept in Liam's arms and now he was gone.

The sheets on Liam’s right side were cold and upon inspection, most of Zayn’s clothes and school supplies were gone and the bed was untouched. Liam leaned in the doorway, twisting the space around his ring finger while avoiding walking into Zayn’s room and remembering.

Liam covered Zayn’s absence. No matter how much Niall prodded or Harry tried slipping away to examine Zayn’s closed off room, Liam refused them. 

_Zayn went to school for studies._

_Zayn wanted something from the store._

_Zayn was sleeping._

Eventually, the boys realized that Liam’s lies were not going to stop and no amount of Marvel or Louis and Niall’s annoying nagging was going to lighten his mood. 

Liam kept his lights down, nothing on the TV played to interrupt his running mind. Liam stood in the kitchen, beside his and Zayn’s burned cookies with his elbows on the counter and his head in his hands. Liam’s throat burned raw with his heavy swallowing and Liam didn’t open his eyes for fear of unneeded tears falling. 

The soft feel of caramel skin tingled on Liam’s fingertips and the moans echoed in his ears. 

Liam still felt foolish. But there was nothing to be done. 

Zayn was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if this chapter sucks. The next ones will be better, I swear.


End file.
